Meat slicer



G. R. WOOD MEAT SLICER May 3 1927,

s sheds-sheet. 1

Filed June 13, 1923 May 3, 1927.

G. R. WOOD MEAT SLICER Filed June 13, 1923 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 3 1927.

G. R. WOOD MEAT S LIGER Filed June 13, 1923 v 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 mumlh G. R. WOOD MEAT SLICER May' 3 1927.

6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed June 13, 1923 May a, 1927. v 1,626,902

I I G. R. WOOD MEAT SLICER Filed June 13, 1923 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 102 W "mm" "W" G. R. WOOD v MEAT'SLIC'ER May a, 1927. 1.6265902 Filed June 15, 1923 s Sheets-Sheet Q g a 8 Q i' y I I Ii 5 4 a l W3 g M Q Qx N a "I i;

2 :E- v o a "In 2 I $5 \w A 10 co I4, 8 9' anbemtoz N 93 1 awe M404 MT m'l-W Patented May 3, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFrcEI GEORGE RUE woon, OE DAYTON, onro, ASSIGNOR To DAYTON SCALE comPANY. DAYTON, onro, a CORPORATION on NEW JERSEY.

MEAT sLIoEn.

Application filed June 13, 1923. Serial No. 645,139.

This invention relates to an improved meat slicing machine. I

The objects "of the present invention reside in the improvement of various details of construction of meat slicingmachines to thegeneral end that their operation may be more satisfactor and reliable. I

A further ob ect resides in the provision of improvements in the drive for the 'knife.

whereby the wear onthe knife may be minimized.

Another object resides in the provisionof improved means for adjusting the chain.

Another object resides in the provision of improvements in meat tray. structure and in the support and grinding means therefor whereby the tray may be secured in a firm manner upon the machine during the operation thereof and yet. may be readily removable for cleaning. i y

A further object resides in the provision of an improved clutch for the lead Screw whereby the ratchet devices may be readily disengaged when iti-s desired to advance or retract the meat tray by hand.

Other objects reside in the provision of .an improved support for the reciprocating table. The arrangement in such table may be made guide rai s for inspection and repair.

A further object'of the invention resides in the provision of an improved connection intermediate the meat tray and lead screw.

and in the provision of improved means for actuating the same when it is desired to disengage the tray from the lead screw.

Other objects and advantages will be hereinafter pointed out .in the accompanying specification .and claims and shownin the drawings which by way of illustration portray a preferred embodiment of the inven tion.

Inthe drawings, Fig. 1 is'a top plan view of my improved slicer.

Fig. 2 is, a side elevation of the same lookfrom the top of Fig. 1

in Fig. 3 is a detail cross sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a side, elevation of the knife pedpivot-ally displaced about one of the estal, the view being taken substantially on line 44 of Fi 1. r

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view of the pedestal structure taken on line 55 of Fig.4.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken through the meat plate and table. The section is taken substantially on line 66 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view of the awl and ratchet mechanism and clutch.

his-section is taken on line 77 of Fig. 1.

Fig. .8 is a detail sectional view of 'the ball ratchet structure taken on line 8 8 of Fi 7 and with the cover plate removed.

ig. 9 is a fragmentary top view of certain of the parts shown in Fig. 7 with parts of the casin broken away and showing one of the clutc prongs engaged with one of the balls.

Fig. 10 is a bottom View of the meat tray.

Fig. 11 is a sectional view taken on line 11-11 of vFig. 1 showing the meat tray in position upon the guide rails on the recipmeeting carriage and certain features of the Certain features of the present invention 1 aremore fully shown and described in my copending applications, Serial. No. 642,008, filed May. 28,1923, Serial .No. 642,540, filed May 31, 1923, and Serial June 1, 1923.

i In more deta l, the meat slicer comprises 'a base casting -10. of box-like construction. Within thebas of=the= machine (are .the usual driving shafts and gear devices for rotating the driving crankand the knife.

These shafts comprise a main: drive shaft 11 having on its end the usual flywheelf 12 carrying .hand' gr'ip 13. .Shaft 11 through No. 642,731,-filed pinion 14 drives a bevel ring gear 15 which is fixed to vertical shaft 16 carrying. at Its upper end crank 17. The crank 17 connects 'by a link 18 to a stud 20 secured to the frame of the meat table 21.

By the above linkage the meat table 1s' reciprocated back-and forth. For supporting the meat table a pair of guiderails 22, 23, are provided. These guide rails are elevated from the base and are suitably supported therefrom by pedestals 24, 24. Guide rail 22 is rectangular in cross section and rail 23 is preferably a round shaft. The meat table structure is provided with depending bosses 25 (Fig. 6) which are suitably drilled to receive the round guide rail 23. For lubricating the roundrail I preferably provide felt ring oilers 26, which felt rings are properly saturated withoil and are displaced back and forth during the reciprocation of the meat table. The opposite side of the meat table is provided with a depending lug portion 27 (Fig. 6) which rests upon the top of the square rail 22 so as to slidably support the meat table thereon. Also extending downwardly from the meat table are suitable lugs 28 which carry a plate 29, which plate projects under the bottom of the guide rail 22. Carried by the plate is a set screw 30 which may be adjusted into close proximity with the bottom of the guide rail. This plate structure serves to prevent the upper tipping of the meat table away from the top of the rectangular guide rail. -Bv removing the plate the entire meat table assembly may be pivotally swung upward about the round rail 23 thereby permitting ready access to the parts of the machine underneath the table. Before tipping the table it is necessary to first disdannect the link 18 from the table frame structure.

Knife pedestal and drive.

casting is supported on the side of the base casting 10 by. means of studs which are carried by the base casting. These studs project into slotted ears 36. Set screws 37 with suitable lock nut devices thereon are provided which are threaded into the ears 36 and adapted to en age the upper surface of thestuds. By a 'usting these set screws the pedestal as a w ole may be displaced vertically relatively to the base casting to adjust the tightness of the driving chain. To insure that the adjustment be directly vertical the pedestal is slotted with vertically disposed slots 38. Projecting into these slots are lugs 39 carried by the base of the machine. In order to drive the circular knife a bevel gear 40 is provided meshing with 'the ring car 15, which bevel gear mounted on a sha t 41 is suitably supported in ball bearings 42.

The ball bearings 42 are suitably mounted in lugs on the machine base. On the end of the shaft 41 is a sprocket 43 receiving driving chain 44. The knife arbor shaft 45 is likewise provided with a sprocket 46 over which the chain 44 passes. The concave convex circular knife 47 is suitably secured to the shaft 45. i

In slicing machines as heretofore constructed the circular knife has been so timed with respect to the main drive shaft and linkage for reciprocating the table that substantially the same portlon of the periphery of the knife efiects the cutting periodically in the operation of the machine.

In the present embodiment I provide for constantly varying the operation of the periphery of the knife which is presented to the meat for effecting the cutting. In this way the dulling of the knife instead of being concentrated at one, two or more particular points on the knife periphery as heretofore is uniform about the entire periphery of the knife. It follows from this construction that the knife need not be ground as frequently as with former constructions and when grinding is necessary the entire knife periphery is ground instead of only portions thereof as heretofore. tional saving in that the'knife lasts longer since heretofore cutting was effected on one,

There is also an additwo or more portions of the periphery at' most and the other portions never were utilized for any effective cutting work but were simply ground off by the grinder wheels in order to bring the other part of the knife which had effected the cutting to a sharp edge. To secure creeping of the cutting periphery of the knife I provide eleven teeth upon the upper sprocket 46 and twenty-eight teeth on the lower sprocket 43. Other unequal numbers of teeth could be utilized as well but in practice the above ratio has been found satisfactory.

To support the knife arbor shaft ball bearings 48 are provided carried by an annular bearing cup 49. Thebearing cup and the knife assembly may be adjusted endwise relatively to the supporting pedestal by means of a clamp screw 50. .As shown in Fig. 4 the pedestal is split at 51 thus permitting the bearing cage 49 to be released or clamped firmly in the pedestal.

Knife guard.

estal castin .by the screws 54. The portions U of the kni e adjacent the cutting point are guarded by a plate guard 55. The details of this plate guard and the associated meat tray and other parts forreceiving the meat are more fully shown and claimed in my c0- pending application, Serial No. 642,540, heretofore referred to. For grinding the knife grinder devices indicated generally at 56a are provided. These grinding devices are more fully described in my copending application, Serial No. 642,008, filed May 28, 1923.

Feeding.

The details of the cross feeding mechanism are shown and claimed in my copending application, Serial No. 642,731, filed June 1, 1923. The feeding is effected from cam 56 disposed upon shaft 57 geared to the main drive shaft 11. The cam 56 rocks a rocking frame 58 which carries a channelshaped member 59 which receives a bell crank 60 mounted upon and travelling with the table or carriage 21. The bell crank imparts a reciprocating, movement to a rack 61, which rack engages a pinion 62 (Fig. 7). The lead screw 63 for the table is journalled in brackets 64 fast to the table 21. Preferably the lead screw is forced in one direction yielding by a spring 65 shown in one of the brackets. Pinion 62 is fixed to a cylindrical casing 66 (see Fig. 7). Within this casing is a member 67 havin inclined slotted portions 68 (Fig. 8) space from the inner walls of the casing 66 and forming ball pockets for the clutch balls 69. The balls are normally urged into contact with the cam member and the cylinder by springs 70 which abut shoulders 71 on the cam member. Member 67 is suitably fixed by a Woodruff key to the unthreaded end 72 of the lead screw. For normal feeding operations the casing 66, balls 69 and member 67 functions as a ball and ratchet clutch to drive the lead upon theadvance of the rack 61 and to permit the return of the rack without reversely rotating the lead screw.

As customary in meat slicers there are times when the lead screw is to be advanced or retracted manually by hand crank 73 which is. fixed to the lead screw shaft and at such times suitable provision must be made for disengaging the ratchet clutch. For effecting such disengagement I provide the following mechanism.

The ball clutch housing is provided with a cover plate 74 to retain the balls in place. The plate is suitably apertured to receive prongs 75 which are carried by plate 76. Each prong is provided with a bevelled end adapted to cam its cooperating ball out of contact with the cam surface of member 67 when the prongs are displaced from the position shown in Fig. 7 to that shown in Fig. 9. When the ballsare thus disengaged the lead screw may be'rotated by hand in either direction. The pron plate 76 is fixed to a sleeve 77 which is s idably mounted upon a sleeve 78 carried upon shaft 72 and keyed thereto. The sleeve 77 is maintained in inner or outer position by an impositive spring lock 79 which alternatively engages one or. the other of two grooves 80 in sleeve 77.

M eat plate.

in Fig. 11 and is provided with suitable prongs 82 to engage the meat. The usual vertical posts 83 are also provided to receive meat clamp 84 which may be of any preferred construction. The row of prongs 85 at the edge of the tray are preferably struck up from a single sheet of metal 86 (Fig. 14) which is secured to the bottom of the tray by soldering or otherwise. These prongs pass through slots or notches in the edge of the meat late.

To gui e the meat plate for transverse movement upon the table or carriage 21, I provide transverse rails 87 and 88. The former is flat and the latter of fiat a'nd sloping shape as shown in Figs. 6, 15 and 16. The tray 81 has a two point bearing 89 on flat rail 87 and a two point bearing90 on the angular portion of rail 88. The tray also is extended to bear upon the far side of rail 88 as shown at 91 in Figs. 16 and 10. Clearance is provided between the tray and flat top of the angle rail 88 to provide self adjustment after wear.

\Vhen a flat and an angle rail is used, provision should be made to prevent the tipping of the plate from rail 88. I accordingly slot the tray at the left as shown at 92 and provide a plate 93 fixed to the carriage 21 and having an inturned edge engaging the slot (see Figs. 15 and 6). This arrangement prevents the upward tipping of the tray about rail 89 as acenter and compels the operator to tip the tray about rail 88 when it is desired to remove the tray from the carriage.

For shifting the carriageback and forth on the rails when the lead screw is disengaged therefrom I provide a handle 94 which is rigidly secured to a bracket 95 fast to the side of tray 81. At the opposite side of the tray I provide an extended lip portion 96 which not only serves as a second handle for lifting the tray from the rails but also shields the nut and associated mechanism.

To operatively connect the tray and lead screw, I provide a worm nut 97 carried by a member 98 which is pivoted upon a stud llU 99 fixed to tray 81. The member 98 carries a spring 100 which bears against the tray and urges the nut into engagement with the lead screw. The member 98 is also suitably guided against vertical displacement by bemg dis osed, in a slot formed in a lug 101 dependmg from the main part of the tray structure.

' the lead screw 63.

To disengage the nut from the lead screw, I provide a link 102 which connects at one end to the nut 97 and which at its opposite end connects to a crank pin 103 carried by a stud 104 which is journalled in the bracket 95. Attached to the upper'end of the stud is a wing nut 105. By turning this wing nut the link 102 will be withdrawn to the left (Fig. 10) thereby disengaging the nut 97 from the lead screw. A limlt pin 106 is fixed in the casting bracket 95 and adapted to intercept the edge of link 102 and lock the same against further movement thereby locking the nut in unlocked condition clear of the lead screw. The nut 97 may be readily reengaged by reversely turning the wing nut sufficiently for the pin 103 to pass the center of the stud 104. Thereafter spring 100 will act to reengage the nut.

To limit the extreme movements of the meat tra'y suitable limit stops are provided. The forward movement of the meat plate toward the knife is interrupted at the proper point by the nut 97 running off the end of Suitable clearance is provided on the lead screw shaft for this purpose as shown at 107 (Fig. 10). Should the operator attempt to force the tray further forward by hand the edge of the nut 97 will engage the edge of one of the brackets 64 (see Fig. 10). Re-arward movement of the plate is limited by a stop 108 carried by the reciprocating carriage and arranged to abut against a shoulder 109 on the meat tray or plate (Figs. 10, 11 and 6).

To cover up the meat table at the front and rear thereof I provide cover plates 110 and 111. Plate 110 directly receives the meat as it is fed forward by the tray and for this purpose is corrugated as shown at 112. The cover plate is secured in position on the table by screws 113 which project upwardly through the table casting and terminate short of the top of the plate 110.

Plate 111 is brazed, soldered or otherwise secured to cross strips 114 which are in turn secured to the table by the screws 115. The rear edge of the plate 111 is provided with a downward lip 116 to cover the joint between strip 114 and the plate. By means of this construction the slicing machine is considerably lightened and the top surfaces of the plates 110 and 111 are kept free from screw holes.

The worm nut 97 is arranged with the major portion thereof below the center of the worm shaft 63. Ihis arrangement together with the spring 100 causes the meat tray assembly to be drawn tightly downwardly upon the angle rails when the worm nut97 is engaged with the lead screw 63. Furthermore the spring 100 urges the tray to the left (see Fig. 6) causing the flat surfaces 91 to be forced into firm contact with the de of the rail 88.

What I claim is 1. In a meat slicer machine, in combination, a rotary knife, a meat table, means for rotating said knife, and means for reciproeating said table past said knife, said knife rotating means and said table reciprocating means including driving means to bring said knife in a different angular position about its center relatively to said meat table during successive strokes of said meat table, and having means for changing said positions by uniform angular increments until a 360 degree cycle of positions is completed, said cycles being repeated indefinitely and a plurality of said cycles being required before any particular position of knife and table relatively to each other is exactly repeated.

2. In a meat slicer machine, in combination, a circular knife having a cutting edge, a meat table, and mechanism for driving said knife and table, said driving mechanism having provisions for imparting to said table a back and forth motion past said knife to bring the meat against the edge of the knife, and having provisions for imparting to said knife a rotary motion plus a motion of angular precession whereby a slightly different portion of the cutting edge of the knife engages the meat during successive strokes of said table, said mechanism including means so coordinated that when the precessional movement of the knife has amounted to 360 degrees, the relative positions of knife and table will be different from their relative position at the beginning of the precessional movement.

3. A meat slicer including in combination a base, main driving mechanism carried thereby, a knife supporting pedestal housing the driving chain for the knife, and means for adjustably supporting said pedestal upon said base comprising lugs carried by the base engaging slots in said pedestal, and adjustment screws carried by said pedestal and engaging said studs, said screws upon the adjust-ment thereof being adapted to effect a vertical adjustment of the pedestal with respect to the base whereby tension of the driving chain may be varied.

4. A meat slicing machine including in combination, a base, main driving mechanism carried thereby, a knife pedestal, a driving chain structure housed thereby and cooperating with a driving sprocket driven by said main driving mechanism, means for adjusting the knife pedestal vertically with lllti respect to the base for adjusting the tension of the driving chain and means independent of the aforesaid means for preventing tipping of said pedestal with respect to the vertical during adjusting operations.

5. In a slicing machine having a table, a meat tray, a lead screw carried by the table for advancing the tray, means for connecting and disconne ting the'lead screw and l arm to prevent vertical isplacement of the same and the worm nut carried thereby.

6. In a slicing machine having a table, a meat tray, a lead screw carried by the table for advancing the tray, means for connecting and disconnecting the lead screw and meat tray comprising in combination, a

worm nutcarried by an arm pivotally suprorted in said meat tray, means comprising blade springs carried by said arm for yieldingly pressing said nut into engagement with the lead screw, and means for guiding said arm and blade spring comprising a slotted lug too-pending from said tray and adapted to receive said arm and spring.

7. In a meat slicing machine having a meat tray and a lead screw for advancing the same, a worm nut adapted for engagement and disengagement with said lead screw, resilient means for engaging said.nut and screw and means for disengaging the same comprising a link extending across under the meat tray and connected at one end to the worm nut structure, a crank disc pivotally supported bysaid tray structure, a crank pin carried by said disc and connected to the other end of said link, and manipulative means carried by said tray for rotating said crank disc and thereby displacing the link to disengage said worm.

8. In a meat slicing machine havlng a meat tray, a lead screw therefor and a worm nut, means for controlling said nut comprising a transverse link connected to the nut at one end and to a crank disc at the other, and means for rotating said crank disc for laterally displacing said link and thereby shifting said worm.

g 9'. In a meat slicing machine havlng a meat tray, a lead screw therefor, and a worm' nut, means for controlling the engagement of said nut and worm, comprism a spring mounted to press the nut towar s engagement with the lead screw, a link extending across the meat tray structure and connected to the nut at one end and to a crank disc at the other, means for rotating said crank disc for disengaging said worm and means for limiting the rotational movement of said disc whereby reengagement of the nut under the influence of the spring is prevented.

10. In a meat slicing machine having a meat tray, a lead screw therefor, and a worm nut, means for controlling theengagement of said nut and worm, COIIlpIlSlII a spring mounted to press the nut towar s engagement with the lead screw, a link extending across the meat tray structure and connected to the nut at one end and to a crank disc at the other, means for rotating said crank disc to thereby draw upon said link and disengage said worm, means for arresting said crank disc when the crank has passed the center whereby the nut is locked in disengaged position.

11. meat tray for a slicingmachine comprising a mam tray structure, prongs for engaging the meat at the forward end of said tray, said prongs being struck up from a single piece of metal secured underneath the forward edge of the tray, said tray havmg a plurality of slots in the edge thereof throug which said prongs project.

12. In a slicing machine in combination, a reciprocating table, transverse rails thereon, one of said rails being flat and the other having an angular surface with top clearance, a meat tray slidable thereon and having a plurality of spaced bearing points on said fiat rail,- a plurality of spaced bearing points upon said angu ar rail.

13. In a slicing machine, in combination, a reciprocating table, transverse rails thereon for supporting a slidable meat tray, one of said rails being flat and the other angular with a flat clearance portion at the top and a meat tray structure having a plurality of spaced bearing points for said flat rail and a plurality of spaced bearing points cooperating with both the angular surface and the side of the other rail, said tray also having a single bearing point disposed intermediate the last two mentioned bearing points which cooperates solely with the side of the angular rail.

14. In a slicing machine having a reciprocating carriage provided with transverse rails and a lead screw, and a meat tray slidable upon said rails and advanced by said lead screw, said meat tray having a projecting lip portion extending over the lead screw and serving both as a shield for the driving connections to said screw and as a handle for lifting said tray.

15. A ment slicing machine comprising a reciprocating table, a meat tray, rails upon said table for slidably supporting said tray, one of said rails being flat and the other having a flat top and an angular profile, said means comprising a plate carried by said table and engaging a slot in the tray adjarail as a center, said means upon the removal thereof permitting the tippin of the carriage for the purpose describe 17. In a meat slicing machine having a base, a reciprocating carriage, guide means on said base for said carriage and comprising a round guide rail, and means for lubricating said rail upon the reciprocation of the carriage including said means comprising lubricant absorbing washers on the round rail adapted to be displaced back and forth thereon upon the reciprocation of the carriage.

18. In a meat slicing machine in combination with a ball and ratchet one way clutch for the lead screw, of means for disengaging the balls from their cooperating ratchet members to permit the lead screw to be inclependently manipulated in either direction.

19. In a meat slicing machine havin a lead screw and shaft, of a ratchetmem er fixed thereto, means for actuating said member, comprising a casing, means for rotating said casing, and clutch balls disposed be tween said casing and ratchet member, and means comprising a member axially slidable on said lead screw shaft with fingers for cooperating with said balls to displace the latter out of clutching contact between the casing and ratchet member.

20. In a meat slicingmachine having a lead screw provided with an extended shaft and a ball and ratchet one way clutch thereon for operating the same, means for disabling said clutch comprising a member axially shiftable on said lead screw shaft, said member including fingers with cam surfaces thereon adapted to displace the balls out of clutching contact.

21. In a meat slicing machine in combination with a rotatable knife, a pedestal to support the same, a multi-armed spider separate from but fixed to said pedestal and a kniie guard detachably connected to said SP1 er.

22. In a meat slicing machine having a lead screw for advancing the meat tray, feeding devices therefor, and a ball and ratchet operated thereby to advance said lead screw and adapted to permit the subsequent return of the feeding devices in combination with means for disengaging the balls from their cooperating ratchet devices to permit the independent advance or retraction of the lead screw.

23. In a meat slicing machine having a lead screw shaft with a ball and ratchet one way clutch thereon for operating the same, means for displacing the balls of said clutch out of clutching position, and means for retaining the aforesaid means in either one of two positions.

24. In a meat slicing machine having a lead screw shaft, a ball and ratchet clutch, for operating the same, said clutch having springs to urge the balls toward clutching position, means for displacing said balls out of clutching position and holding the same in such position. i I

25. In a meat slicing machine having a lead screw shaft, a ball and ratchet clutch for operating the same, said balls being normally resiliently engaged in clutching position, in combination with a manually adj ustable means displaceable to a plurality of positions and having provisions for displacing the balls when in one" position and for releasing the same when in opposite position.

In testimony whereof I hereto afiix my signature.

GEORGE RUE WOOD. 

